I used to confuse Motown producer-songwriter Ivy Joe Hunter with the singer of this wonderful song — Ivory Joe Hunter — thinking that I was reading misspellings in print. It took me a while to figure out that they were two completely different talented musical artists.

The great Country Bluesman, pianist, composer and businessman, Ivory Joe Hunter, recorded this wonderful song when I was but a babe of two years old and yet somehow this has been one of my favorite ballads as long as I remember. I really don’t recall how and why I have known this song but I do. It is one of my top ten “feel good” songs.

Usually I can recall if a song was a favorite of my Mother of Father but with this song I just know I know it and have loved it always!

In the early 1940s, Hunter had his own radio show in Beaumont, Texas on KFDM, where he eventually became program manager, and in 1942, he moved to Los Angeles, joining Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers in the mid-1940s. When he wrote and recorded his first song, “Blues at Sunrise” with the Three Blazers for his own label, Ivory Records, it became a regional hit. [2]

In the late 1940s, Hunter founded Pacific Records, and in 1947, he recorded for Four Star Records and King Records. Two years later, he recorded his first R&B hits; on “I Quit My Pretty Mama” and “Guess Who” he was backed by members of Duke Ellington’s band. [3]

After signing with MGM Records, he recorded “I Almost Lost My Mind,” which topped the 1950 R&B charts and would later (in the wake of Hunter’s success with “Since I Met You Baby”) be recorded by Pat Boone. “I Need You” was a number two R&B hit that same year. With his smooth delivery, Hunter became a hot R&B commodity, and he also began to be noticed in the country-Western music community. In April, 1951, he made his network TV debut on You Asked For It.

By 1954, he had recorded more than a hundred songs and moved to Atlantic Records. His first song to cross over to the pop charts was “Since I Met You Baby” (1956). It was to be his only top-40 pop song, climbing to the number 12 position. (Source: WIKI)

Just as some of the other male vocalists that I have discussed in the past week, Hunter was a sorely under appreciated artist IMHO. It baffles (and angers) me that this artist never “crossed-over” into Pop fame and yet when artists such as Elvis Presley or Pat Boone covered his tunes they had great success, i.e., chart toppers.

Oldies.Com has a biography on Mr. Hunter where you can read more about his long lived career. But first check out this wonderful vintage LIVE performance of Mr. Hunter singing “Since I Met You Baby”.